Baseball History in 1903: The First World Series 1903 Leaders & Numbers 1902 1904 1900s 1903 The First World Series Both the American and National Leagues finally agree to co-exist in peace, leading to an inaugural "world's championship" between the two pennant winners. On January 9, 1903, the hatchet was finally buried. It was on this day in Cincinnati that the powers that be for both the National and American Leagues began the process of co-existing harmoniously, ending two years of bitter fighting. Gone would be the player raids, the cutthroat crosstown rivalries and the clandestine undermining of each other. Although nothing was said about the leagues playing one another—be it as regular season interleague play or postseason competition—the door was certainly propped open more widely than ever for the possibility. Ironically, it was the National League—the established entity of big league baseball—that more or less waved the white flag to the relatively infant American League, singularly run by Ban Johnson.

Talent and attendance had both swayed in favor of the AL, and there was still ongoing pilferage of NL rosters. Jack Chesbro, Jesse Tannehill, Willie Keeler and Sam Crawford had already defected to the junior circuit since the end of the 1902 season, and AL owners were closing in on signing Christy Mathewson, Tommy Leach, Vic Willis and Sam Mertes, among others. To stop the bleeding, the NL decided to put the emergency brakes on the feud and meet with Johnson. Though the Cincinnati talks supposedly provided a level playing field between the leagues, there was no mistaking that Johnson and his AL owners were firmly in charge. The NL magnates gave it the good ol’ college try anyway. Johnson was initially asked by NL executives, led by president Harry Pulliam, to merge the two leagues—eliminating the four AL franchises doing business in NL cities, while allowing the other four to continue as part of a 12-team National League. An incredulous Johnson quickly rejected the idea and walked out, only to return four days later with his own list of demands—many of which he’d get.

Johnson demanded that all existing player contracts be honored, allowing AL teams to hold onto the players snapped up from the NL; in return he would stop the player raids. Johnson also pledged not to follow through on his threat to move the Detroit Tigers to Pittsburgh—but only on the condition that he could move his tampered Baltimore franchise to New York. The NL reluctantly, though not unaminouslyJohn Brush, who helped scuttle the Baltimore Orioles and now owned the New York Giants—where most of the released Orioles wound up—vehemently decried the AL’s move to New York. , agreed to these key issues. Out of the Cincinnati talks came the National Agreement, the bylines of which both leagues would be run; and the National Commission, an executive group of three representatives from both leagues that would rule over the game. The three elected to the Commission were Johnson and two NL executives: Pulliam and Cincinnati Reds owner Garry Herrmann. On the surface, the AL appeared outnumbered 2-to-1 within the Commission, but it was a deceptive facade; Herrmann, a long-time pal of Johnson, brought a more impartial voice to balance out the trio.

The negotiating power and dominating presence of Ban Johnson proved one thing as the new season proceeded in April: It was he who now ran the whole show. The shortest end of the peace stick would not be reserved for the NL, but for the players. They once considered Ban Johnson their savior for thumbing his nose at the reserve clause and encouraging them to jump to his fledgling circuit. But the AL-NL peace treaty also brought agreement by both leagues to respect each other’s roster sovereignty and, therefore, the reserve clause. The players were once again perpetually chained and enslaved to the owners. Of all the teams hit hard by the pre-peace player movement following the 1902 season, no one was hit harder than the Pittsburgh Pirates—ironically, the team that had been least touched by player raids the year before. Defecting to the New York Highlanders were starting pitchers Jack Chesbro and Jesse Tannehill, who combined for 48 of Pittsburgh’s stunning 103 wins in 1902.

The remaining starters—led by Sam Leever (25 wins, seven losses and a league-leading 2.06 earned run average) and Deacon Phillippe (25-9, 2.43 ERA)—helped jumpstart the Pirates from a sluggish start to 1903. Sagging in third place to start June, the Pirates won 15 straight—the first six by shutout, a major league record—to permanently reclaim their standing in first place. The Pirates were able to retain their offensive firepower despite losing three position players (also to the Highlanders); but only one, weak-hitting shortstop Wid Conroy, was a starter in 1902. That was just fine for player-manager Fred Clarke, knowing he had an evolving shortstop who had long proven he could hit: Honus Wagner. Clarke still had his star hitters, again led by Wagner. The Flying Dutchman took another NL batting title with a .355 average, placed second in slugging percentage behind Clarke, and stole 46 bases to boot.

Clarke himself batted .351, while center fielder Ginger Beaumont hit .341 while leading the NL with 137 runs and 209 hits. As his team coasted through the summer on its way to a 6.5-game finish over the second-place Giants, Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss felt comfortable enough that, by August, he had a thought regarding the postseason. Unlike the Pirates, the Boston Americans did not suffer from any talent drainage during the off-season, and with improved results swarmed to the top of the AL. Though they had a solid lineup at the plate, what really impressed opponents was the Boston pitching staff—which, save Nick Altrock’s one-time appearance, consisted the entire season of just five hurlers. At 36 years of age, Cy Young was the AL’s oldest pitcher—and still its best. Though he failed to win 30 games for the first time since joining the AL, Young remained remarkable, winning 28 of 37 decisions while recording a 2.08 earned run average.

Successfully pitching alongside Young were Bill Dinneen, whose 21 wins included six shutouts, and 24-year-old Long Tom Hughes, who added 20 victories after surviving 1902 with the ill-fated Orioles. Offensively, the Americans had plenty of punch—their 48 home runs as a team would be the most in the AL until Babe Ruth exceeded the number all by himself 16 years later. Left fielder Patsy Dougherty, in only his second year, provided excellent leadoff numbers with a .331 batting average, 35 stolen bases and 106 runs scored, while veteran slugger Buck Freeman paced the league with 13 home runs and 104 RBIs. Freeman added other team highs in the extra bases department with 39 doubles and 20 triples. Boston easily knocked off defending AL champion Philadelphia, which actually showed improved pitching thanks to a (almost) full year from Rube WaddellWaddell skipped on the rest of the season after August so he could appear in a stage production of The Stain of Guilt. and an impressive debut for 20-year-old Chief Bender.

It was offense, however, for which the A’s withered, notching nearly 200 fewer runs than in 1902. So the prize of the American League belonged to Boston and its new owner, Henry J. Killilea, a Milwaukee lawyer whose brother Matthew initially owned the Brewers of 1901—before he sold and watched the team move out of Wisconsin to St. Louis. But Henry was having better success with his ownership, and in August the Americans were sitting comfortably atop first place when he received a note from Barney Dreyfuss. The Pittsburgh owner, fully aware that both the Pirates and Americans were likely to win league pennants, proposed to Killilea a postseason series between the two teams to determine the true major league champion. Killilea took it up with Ban Johnson, who shared in the Boston magnate’s delight at the chance to finally face the NL on the field. Though it was the established NL once again coming forward to make the offer, Johnson knew this was not a case of his league having nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Self-assured that he was running the stronger of the two leagues, Johnson gave Killilea approval to go through with the offer—but was also stern in his desire to win. “Play them, and beat them,” Johnson told the Boston owner. “You must beat them.” Dreyfuss and Killilea shook hands on the deal, and when both of their teams completed the regular season at the top of the standings, the “Championship of the United States”—or the World Series, as it would be called later—was on. The Pirates were a tortured team by October. Honus Wagner was suffering from a beat-up right leg. The pitching staff, managing all season with decreased talent, saw its problems magnify. Sam Leever’s arm was sore, reportedly as a result of some trapshooting on the side. More troubling was the story of Ed Doheny, the third man in the rotation. Having seen his career turn around since joining the Pirates in 1901, winning 34 of 46 decisions, Doheny grew mentally unstable—at one point he fled from a game convinced he was being followed by “detectives”—and, shortly before season’s end, entered an insane asylum.

He would remain there for the rest of his life. This forced Deacon Phillippe to become the Pirates’ pitching workhorse during the series. Throughout the best-of-nine set, Phillippe would be called upon to make five starts—taking advantage of travel days and two rain postponements—to pick up the slack of the otherwise burdened staff. Before a zealous, overflow crowd of 16,000 at Boston’s Huntington Grounds on October 1, the Pirates jumped on Cy Young with a two-out, four-run rally in the first inning, allowing Phillippe to coast to a 7-3 Game OneFrom the very beginning, the temptation of fixing worked its way into the World Series: Boston catcher Lou Criger reported to Ban Johnson before Game One that he was approached by a gambler. Curiously, Criger made two errors in the first inning. victory. In victory, Pirates outfielder Jimmy Sebring became a trivia answer for the ages when he hit the World Series’ first-ever home run. But Game Two showed a sign of things to come as an aching Leever lasted but one inning; the Americans evened up Pittsburgh, 3-0, on a three-hit shutout by Bill Dinneen.

After Phillippe started and won the next two games, the Pirates led three games to one with the next three contests slated for Pittsburgh. Hopes seemed few and far between for Boston. But the lack of depth in the Pirates’ pitching rotation reared its ugly head and allowed Boston to jump back and take command of the series. Brickyard Kennedy was shelled in Game Five, 11-2, and in Game Six, Leever managed to throw nine innings but lost to Dinneen, 6-3. When Young toppled Phillippe in Game Seven, 7-3, the Americans headed back to Boston with two games to win one—and the Series. With two days’ rest, the Pirates threw Phillippe at the Americans for his fifth start. But it was Dinneen, making his fourth start, engineering his second series shutout with a 3-0 victory. Ban Johnson got his wish: The Boston Americans, representing the American League, were champions of the first World Series. The Pirates appeared as a shell of their former selves in the series.

Defensively, they were atrocious, committing a glaring 18 errors; 13 of those occurred over the last four games—all losses—leading to 11 unearned runs. Honus Wagner himself made six errors and batted a feeble .222 at the plate—though the latter figure wasn’t too far off par from the Pirates’ team average of .237. Despite the loss, Dreyfuss was thankful enough for his team’s effort that he donated his share of the series gate to his players; each Pirate walked away after defeat with $1,316, not bad wages for the time. Because of Dreyfuss’ generous donation, coupled with Killilea’s refusal to give up his share (to the catcalls of many in the press), Boston players actually wound up earning less ($1,182) than those they had defeated. It was the first, and last, such imbalance in World Series history. Killilea would end up selling the team at year’s end, mimicking the length of his brother’s tenure as major league owner, but surpassing it in results.

Most gratefully for baseball, the World Series finally showed what fans everywhere were wanting to see: A battle of the leagues on the field, not off it. But thanks to the two Johns of New York—McGraw and Brush—there would still be ominous clouds hanging around from the departed storm. Forward to 1904: McGraw v. Johnson The World Series becomes a casualty of a continued feud between two of the games's most powerful men. Back to 1902: Enemies at the Gate Warfare between the American and National Leagues turns brutal with increased player raids and sabotage. The 1900s Page: The Birth of the Modern Age ﻿The established National League and upstart American League battle it out, then make peace to signal in a new and lasting era. Share this page with a friend. Have a comment, question or request? Contact us at This Great Game. © 2017 This Great Game. World Series Boston (AL) defeated Pittsburgh (NL), 5-3.

It Happened in 1903 Tragedy at the Ballpark Twelve are killed and nearly 300 injured when a overhang behind the third-base stands at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl collapses during the first game of a doubleheader between the Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals on August 8. The overhang had become overloaded when fans gathered to check out a street fight behind the ballpark. It is the deadliest incident related to any major league baseball game. The disaster will keep the Phillies idle for the next 11 days, and they’ll play their remaining home games at Columbia Park (home of the Athletics) while repairs to Baker Bowl are made. Delahanty Falls Washington’s Ed Delahanty is killed under mysterious circumstances near Niagara Falls on July 2. His body is found two days later at the bottom of the falls. Accounts differ over how Delahanty came to fall into the Niagara after being booted off a train—some historians suspect a night watchman on the tracks may have precipitated some foul play—but it was no secret he was desperate to be traded out of last-place Washington; he had become despondent after a deal to send him to the New York Giants fell through.

The 35-year old was batting .338 in 43 games; his death ends a stellar career in which he batted .346 with 2,597 hits. Only four other players will list a higher career batting mark. It’s Always A Win-Win With Iron Joe New York Giants pitcher Joe McGinnity starts—and wins—both ends of a doubleheader three times during the month of August. No other pitcher has won both ends of a twinbill more than twice in an entire career. McGinnity’s daily doubles occur on August 1 at Boston, August 8 at home against Brooklyn, and again at home on August 31 against the Phillies. The 32-year-old workhorse will also set modern National League records by starting 48 games and pitching 434 innings. Catching Up The American League follows the lead of the NL and charges batters with strikes on every foul ball they hit, except when there’s already two strikes in the count. As with the NL in 1901, the rule change’s impact on the AL is telling.

Scoring is down by 17%, and the league batting average drops from .275 to .255. The Gas is Usually More Poisonous Win Mercer, recently named manager of the Detroit Tigers, writes a note in a San Francisco hotel discussing the “evils” of women and gambling. It’s his suicide note; he next inhales poison gas and dies. The 28-year-old Mercer was a nine-year major league veteran, with a 131-164 lifetime record as a pitcher and a .286 batting average in 1,763 at-bats. If You’re Looking for a Silver Lining, Forget It Cleveland shortstop John Gochnauer muffs through an all-time AL record 98 errors. His fielding percentage is at .869, though that’s not as bad as the effort of Baltimore’s Bill Keister (.851 fielding average on 97 errors) in 1901. You might think the Blues are playing Gochnauer for his bat; not so. His .185 average (with no home runs) is the season’s lowest by any AL starting regular.

Needless to say, it is Gochnauer’s last year in the majors. More Errata The Chicago White Stockings tie a major league record by committing 12 errors in one game on May 6. Detroit adds six to set an all-time mark for the most errors by both teams in one game, at 18. The White Stockings overcome the dozen errors and a 9-7, ninth-inning deficit to beat the Tigers, 10-9, at Chicago. Darn That Kid On August 1, Rube Waddell of the Philadelphia Athletics goes the distance and allows four hits against the New York Highlanders; all four hits are by Kid Elberfeld, setting an AL mark for most hits by one player while his teammates collect none. Elberfeld’s hits—and six walks given up by Waddell—lead to a 3-2 Highlanders victory over the A’s. Shutting Out… The Pittsburgh Pirates toss a major league record six straight shutouts from June 2-6. It is the beginning of an overall 15-game winning streak in which Pirates pitching will allow a total of 20 runs.

Deacon Phillippe and Sam Leever are each credited with two of the six shutouts. …But Not Shut Out The Boston Americans score in a major league record 17 straight innings over three games, September 15-17. They set the record on the day they clinch the AL pennant, a 14-3 home rout over Cleveland. Taking the Midnight Thrill Ride to St. Louie Shortly after midnight on August 29, a charter train carrying the St. Louis Browns and the Cleveland Blues derails after jumping an open switch near Napoleon, Ohio. The Blues’ sleeper car lands upside down off the track, while the Browns’ car settles on its side. Amazingly, no one is killed or even seriously hurt, although some players suffer minor-to-moderate injuries—most notably a bruised knee for Nap Lajoie. The Sporting News reports that the “shock was the worst in (the players’) experience.” Black Jack After losing in a start against the White Stockings in a postseason exhibition game, the Cubs’ Jack Taylor is asked why he lost. Taylor responds: “Why should I win?

I get $100 for winning and $500 for losing.” The Cubs do the math and come to the elementary conclusion that something fishy is going on; they soon after convince the St. Louis Cardinals to take Taylor in a trade that will bring Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown to Chicago. Caught on Film The first known moving picture footage of a major league game is shot during a postseason series between the Cleveland Blues and the Cincinnati Reds. Hilltop Park, New York Located on the highest point in all of Manhattan, Hilltop Park was an architecturally unremarkable facility with a remarkable prescript. Insatiable in his quest to get into New York City, AL President Ban Johnson finally brought the Baltimore Orioles there—but in trying to secure a ballpark site, he ran into major political roadblocks with connections to the NL’s Giants, the owner (John Brush) and manager (John McGraw) of which bitterly detested Johnson and the AL. New York is simply too big a town for one to control all, so Johnson eventually cultivated enough power brokers on his side to get control of land at the extreme north end of Manhattan to build Hilltop Park.

Hastily and cheaply built—it was put up in six weeks for $75,000—Hilltop Park sat 16,000 fans and featured a typically expansive outfield for the times; even the mightiest of sluggers couldn’t think of reaching the center-field fence, located 542 feet away from home. The ballpark that the Giants desperately prevented from being built would actually become their foster home in 1912 when the Polo Grounds burned down. The ensuing thaw in Highlanders-Giants relations allowed the Highlanders to leave for the rebuilt Polo Grounds in 1913; Hilltop Park would be demolished within a year. The Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center now sits on its site. This Great Game Tooltip As shown in the example above, move your mouse over any hyperlink with a dotted underline to instantly see more information on the topic at hand. World Series : A Comprehensive History of the World Series by Baseball Almanac Support World Series History Each year, the primary focus in any professional sport is the race for a championship. Every sport has their pinnacle trophy, but none is as coveted as baseball's World Series; a best of seven contest that celebrates our national pastime.

An event as important as any holiday on the calendar, it is as traditional as Thanksgiving, as patriotic as the Fourth of July and as anticipated as Christmas morning. Over the last century, the World Series has been woven into the fabric of America's culture evolving far beyond a mere baseball tournament. It has become the game of all games and has continued to provide us with an endless highlight reel of magical moments evoking childhood memories of agony and ecstasy. How would one define the World Series? It's Willie Mays catching what can't be caught and Don Larsen being perfect where perfection is simply not possible. It's Babe Ruth telling the fans and media where he is going to deposit the next pitch and a heavily outscored team of Pirates beating the unbeatable Yankees off a ninth inning Bill Mazeroski blast. The World Series is the crushing blow of Fred Snodgrass dropping a routine fly ball and Willie McCovey hitting the final out straight to Bobby Richardson. It's the Curse of the Bambino, when loyal Red Sox fans live their entire lives without witnessing a championship and when Yankees fans witness four in five years...

Although the "Fall Classic" as we know it didn't begin until 1903, Major League Baseball had several versions of a post-season championship series before that. In 1884, the Providence Grays of the National League outplayed the New York Metropolitan Club of the American Association in a three game series for what was originally called "The Championship of the United States." Several newspapers penned the Grays as "World Champions" and the new title stuck. Over the next six years, different variations took place between the National League and American Association pennant-winners, ranging in length from six to fifteen games. The American Association folded unexpectedly after the 1891 season forcing a suspension of the series. The following year, the National League absorbed four of the American Association's former franchises and expanded to twelve teams in an effort to promote the growth of baseball and maintain the public's interest. They played a split season in which the first-half winner played the second-half winner for the league championship. Many fans did not support the new system and the split season was promptly dropped in 1893. In 1894, Pittsburgh's owner William C.

Temple offered a championship trophy to the winner of a best-of-seven-game series between the National League's first and second-place teams. In addition, he stated that the winning franchise would receive 65% of all ticket sales and the losing team would pocket 35%. Temple's novel idea would last for the next three years and helped to build the foundation for baseball's post-season popularity. More changes were on the horizon and in 1901, the American League was established much to the dismay of the senior circuit. Suddenly, baseball found itself engaged in a "civil war" as both rival leagues competed separately for the fan's loyalty and attention. Two years later a truce, previously known as the "National Agreement", was redefined outlining baseball's employment, salary and travel requirements. The 1903 compromise produced the business blueprint for major-league baseball and resulted in a merger that has lasted to this day. Once again Boston and Pittsburgh, the top American and National League teams, found themselves competing against one another in the first official "World Series".

"World Series week indicates that baseball is one of America's major disturbances." - Syndicated Columnist Arthur "Bugs" Baer in The Greatest World Series Games: Baseball Historians Choose 26 Classics (Warren W. Wilbert, McFarland & Company Publishing, 06/07/2005, Page 2) A Comprehensive World Series History (Chronological Order) / Postseason Picture Series / Link 6 Things You May Not Know About the World Series - History in the Headlines 6 Things You May Not Know About the World Series October 24, 2012 By martinstezano Share this: 6 Things You May Not Know About the World Series Author 6 Things You May Not Know About the World Series URL As the the latest installment of Major League Baseball's World Series gets underway, explore six facts about the Fall Classic that may come as a surprise. 1. An unofficial championship between leagues predated the World Series. Although the first official World Series didn’t take place until 1903, another championship came before it.

Between 1884 and 1890, the National League and the American Association (a rival organization that went belly-up in 1891) played an exhibition series that pitted their respective champions against one another. These games were known as the Championship of the United States or the World’s Championship Series. Haphazardly thrown together by the teams themselves, the event was completely disorganized, with some series lasting three games and others as many as 15. When the American Association folded, the National League continued as the only game—and the only champion—in town. 2. The outcome of the first World Series may have paved the way for Major League Baseball. The National League allowed some teams from the defunct American Association to join its ranks in the late 1800s, and in 1900 it gained a new adversary when the American League was born. The organizations held a great deal of contempt for one other, leading to infighting and feuding among players and fans as each league tried to establish supremacy in the fledgling baseball marketplace.

Finally, in 1903, the two sides met on an official field of battle when the National League’s Pittsburgh Pirates faced the American League’s Boston Americans in the first World Series. The Americans won the series five games to three, instilling the American League with legitimacy. Had the Pirates emerged as victors, there’s a chance the younger organization could have collapsed, and Major League Baseball as we know it might never have come into being. 3. The World Series has only been canceled twice. Since 1903, only two years have gone by without a World Series. Interestingly enough, neither of these years came during World War II, during which the best players from many teams fought overseas. (For example, the New York Yankees won the 1943 World Series without Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizutto and Red Ruffing.) Most recently, a players’ strike thwarted the championship. But in 1904, it was a National League owner who disappointed fans by preventing the annual event. John T. Brush, president of the New York Giants at the time, refused to compete with the Boston Americans because he considered both the team and the American League inferior.

In 1905, when his Giants again won the National League Championship, Brush allowed his team to participate in the World Series—but only after the league instituted a number of regulations. The “Brush Rules,” as they were known, included provisions for revenue sharing between the teams and put in place the seven-game format. Though unpopular in his day, Brush is probably one of the most influential people in World Series history. 4. Only one “world champion” team didn’t come from the United States. Despite the competition’s all-inclusive name, only one team not based in the United States has won the World Series: the Toronto Blue Jays, victors in both 1992 and 1993. Only one other international team—the now-defunct Montreal Expos—has ever even played in the major leagues, though they never appeared in the Fall Classic. Though there are talks of expanding into Mexico or other nearby countries (travel time makes a truly international sport difficult), an American “world champion” is a virtual guarantee for now. 5. One team has won 27 World Series, while two hapless franchises haven’t appeared in a single one.

Of the 107 World Series to date, the New York Yankees have appeared in 40 and won 27. This is far and away the most championship victories of any franchise in baseball—and sports—history. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies haven’t won a single World Series. And the Washington Nationals (formerly the Montreal Expos) and Seattle Mariners have never even appeared in the Fall Classic. 6. Before the era of championship rings, triumphant players took home timepieces. These days, the winner of the World Series gets the Commissioner’s Trophy, first awarded in 1967 to the St. Louis Cardinals. Meanwhile, each winning team traditionally presents its members with championship rings. In the early part of the 20th century, however, players received pocket watches or medallions as tokens of their team’s appreciation. The 1922 New York Giants became the first team to issue rings as a reward for the championship, but it didn’t become a league-wide custom until 1926.

Tags World Series | Baseball Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia 1905 : New York Giants (NL) defeat Philadelphia Athletics (AL), 4 games to 1. Every game is a shutout. Christy Mathewson hurls three of them, over a span of just six days, in one of the most dominant pitching performances in history. 1906 : Chicago White Sox (AL) defeat Chicago Cubs (NL), 4 games to 2. Some consider this the greatest World Series upset. The Cubs post the best regular-season record ever while the White Sox were the worst-hitting team in the American League. Eventually, the "Hitless Wonders" get all the hitting they need to shock their crosstown rivals. Oddly, this is the last World Series to feature two franchises that had never previously appeared in the Series. 1907 : Chicago Cubs (NL) defeat Detroit Tigers (AL), 4 games to 0 (one tie). The Cubs come back strong, with pitching dominance over the Tigers and a young Ty Cobb , allowing only 3 runs in the 4 games they win, while stealing 18 bases off the rattled Tigers.

1908 : Chicago Cubs (NL) defeat Detroit Tigers (AL), 4 games to 1. The Series is anticlimactic after the tight pennant races in both leagues. Cobb has a much better Series, but the Cubs' pitchers and catcher Johnny Kling stifle the rest of the Tigers team. The final two games, in Detroit, are shutouts. The last Cubs Series win to date, and also the most poorly attended Series. The final game draws a record-low 6,210 fans. 1909 : Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeat Detroit Tigers (AL), 4 games to 3. The Tigers might have finally won the Fall Classic in their third try had it not been for Babe Adams . A rookie pitcher for Pittsburgh that year, manager Fred Clarke starts him, on a hunch, in game 1. Adams wins that game and two more. 1910 : Philadelphia Athletics (AL) defeat Chicago Cubs (NL), 4 games to 1. Jack Coombs of Philadelphia wins three games, and Eddie Collins supplies timely hitting as the Athletics win their first Fall Classic, and the greatest Cubs team in history closes out its glory years, only ten years into the new century.

1911 : Philadelphia Athletics (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 2. Philadelphia third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker earns his nickname hitting pivotal home runs in Games 2 and 3. The Giants never recover. 1912 : Boston Red Sox (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 3 (one tie). This dramatic Series, regarded by some as the best ever, showcases great pitching from Christy Mathewson and from Boston fireballer Smokey Joe Wood , who wins two of his three starts and pitches in relief in the final game, won when Boston rallies for two runs in the ninth inning thanks to two costly Giants fielding misplays. 1913 : Philadelphia Athletics (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 1. The A's pitching gives the edge to a closer-than-it-looked Series. The great Mathewson loses his Series swan song in the final game to an old college rival, Eddie Plank . 1914 : Boston Braves (NL) defeat Philadelphia Athletics (AL), 4 games to 0. Another contender for greatest upset of all time.

The "Miracle Braves," in last place on July 4th, roared on to win the NL pennant and sweep the stunned Athletics. In some circles it has been alleged that the A's were irritated at the penny-pinching ways of their manager/owner, and did not play hard. Mack apparently thought so, as he unloaded most of his high-priced stars soon after, and within two years the A's would achieve the worst won-lost percentage in modern history (even worse than the 1962 Mets or the 2003 Tigers). 1915 : Boston Red Sox (AL) defeat Philadelphia Phillies (NL), 4 games to 1. The Phillies win Game 1 before being swept the rest of the way. It will be 65 years before the Phils will win their next Series game. The Red Sox pitching is so strong that the young Babe Ruth is not used on the mound, but only for a single pinch-hitting appearance. 1917 : Chicago White Sox (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 2. Another Series loss for the Giants.

The decisive game underscores the Giants' post-season frustrations, featuring a famous rundown in which Giants' third baseman Heinie Zimmerman futilely chases the speedy Eddie Collins toward home plate with apparently no one to throw to. This will be the last White Sox World Series win until 2005 . 1918 : Boston Red Sox (AL) defeat Chicago Cubs (NL), 4 games to 2. The Series is played early in September due to the World War I "Work or Fight order." It is marred by players threatening to strike due to low gate receipts. There are also rumors of a "fix," but there is no solid evidence, and with the War dominating the news, nothing comes of it. This will be the last Red Sox World Series win until 2004 . The subsequent drought of eighty-six years will eventually become attributed to the Curse of the Bambino , as the Red Sox trade the superbly talented but troublesome Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for cash in the off-season a year later. 1919 : Cincinnati Reds (NL) defeat Chicago White Sox (AL), 5 games to 3. The Black Sox scandal.

Eight Chicago players conspire with gamblers to accept bribes and purposely lose the Series, in the face of being heavy favorites at the conclusion of the regular season. Of the 3 games won by the Sox, 2 come with Dick Kerr on the mound; he was not in on the "fix." The third is won by Ed Cicotte, who was, but was angry about gamblers reneging on their deals. It is likely the Sox would have won the Series easily if it had been played honestly. Although rumors are rife, even as the games are being played, that the Series is fixed (or "doped" in the slang of the day), it will be almost a year before suspicion becomes certainty, at which point the eight men are banned permanently from organized baseball. Some attribute the White Sox's inability to win a World Series for 86 years following this event to the "curse" brought on by the scandal. 1921 : New York Giants (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 5 games to 3. McGraw's Giants finally get another win in a closely-contested matchup. The Series ends on a double play featuring a baserunning miscue.

All games are played at the Polo Grounds , the two teams alternating as the home team every game. The last of the experimental 5-of-9 Series. 1922 : New York Giants (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 0 (one tie). By now the term "World Series" is frequently used, as opposed to "World's Series". Game 2, a tie called on account of darkness, produces such an uproar that Commissioner Landis orders the gate receipts turned over to charity. The Giants pitch around Babe Ruth and score just enough runs to win each of the other games. All games again played at the Polo Grounds, and again alternating home teams. McGraw's final Series win. 1923 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 2. The Yankees opened their new Yankee Stadium in April on a home run by Ruth, setting the tone for the season and this Series, in which he hit 3 home runs along with drawing 8 walks. The Giants' one bright spot was "Old Casey" Stengel, who hit game-winning homers in each of the two Giants' victories.

He would be traded after the season, leading him to quip later in life, "It's a good thing I didn't hit three homers in three games, or McGraw would have traded me to the Three-I League !". This marks the only time that three straight World Series have featured the same two teams. 1925 : Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeat Washington Senators/Nationals (AL), 4 games to 3. Washington's Walter Johnson dominates the Pirates in Games 1 and 4 to give the Senators a 3 games to 1 lead in the Series. After Pittsburgh wins the next two games, Johnson again takes the mound for Game 7, and carries a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. But errors by shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh in both the seventh and eighth inning lead to four unearned runs, and the Pirates become the first team in a best-of-7 Series to overcome a 3 games to 1 deficit to win the championship. 1927 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Pittsburgh Pirates (NL), 4 games to 0.

The "Murderers Row" Yankees, who won 110 games during the regular season, reportedly take a show-off batting practice before Game 1 in which they purposely rocket as many as they can into the seats. Whether true or legend, the Yankees have little trouble dispatching the Pirates, who will not see another Series for 33 years. 1928 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat St. Louis Cardinals (NL), 4 games to 0. Babe Ruth hits .625 (10 for 16) as the Yankees demolish their opponents by a combined score of 27 to 10. 1929 : Philadelphia Athletics (AL) defeat Chicago Cubs (NL), 4 games to 1. The famous "Mack Attack" occurs, named for the legendary manager of the Athletics, Connie Mack , in which the Athletics overcome an eight run deficit by scoring ten runs in the 7th inning of Game 4.

The inning features an infamous Cubs' historic moment when centerfielder Hack Wilson loses Mule Haas ' fly ball in the sun, resulting in a bases-clearing, inside-the-park home run, although the A's still trail 8-7 at that point. Game 1 features a surprise start by aging Howard Ehmke , whose record 13 Cubs strikeouts will stand until 1953 . 1930 : Philadelphia Athletics (AL) defeat St. Louis Cardinals (NL), 4 games to 2. The A's pitching ace Lefty Grove wins 2 and saves 1 as the Mackmen play the Cards right. 1932 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Chicago Cubs (NL), 4 games to 0. Babe Ruth hits his famous " called shot " home run — which is followed immediately by a Lou Gehrig solo home run, "The Thunder after the Lightning" — in Game 3 of this dominating Yankees performance in what will be Ruth's final Series. 1933 : New York Giants (NL) defeat Washington Senators (AL), 4 games to 1.

The Giants easily defeat the Nats behind "King" Carl Hubbell and "Prince" Hal Schumacher. This will be the last Series appearance by a Washington team as of 2005 . 1934 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat Detroit Tigers (AL), 4 games to 3. Brothers Dizzy Dean and Paul Dean each win two games for the "Gas House Gang" Cardinals. 1936 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 2. Hubbell wins Game 1, but it's all downhill after that. The Yankees win Game 2 at the Polo Grounds by an 18-4 count, a Series record for lopsided scoring. Joe DiMaggio makes all three 9th inning outs in that game, the final a long fly that he snares and then keeps on running all the way up the clubhouse steps. 1937 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat New York Giants (NL), 4 games to 1. DiMaggio hits his first Series homer, and Gehrig his last, in an easy Yanks victory.

1938 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Chicago Cubs (NL), 4 games to 0. Dizzy Dean, whose sore arm had carried the Cubs all year, runs out of gas in the Series as the Yanks crush the Cubs again. It will be the 2003 regular season (inter-league play) before the Cubs win a meaningful game against the Yankees. 1939 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Cincinnati Reds (NL), 4 games to 0. In the 9th inning of the final game, a famous play at the plate typifies the Series, as Charlie Keller scores when he and the ball both collide with catcher Ernie Lombardi , and then Joe DiMaggio also scores while Lombardi, rolling on the ground, tries in vain to retrieve the ball to make the tag. Lombardi had been smacked in the groin, but the puritanical press reported it as if Lombardi was "napping" at the plate. For the fourth consecutive year, every game is won by a team from New York . 1940 : Cincinnati Reds (NL) defeat Detroit Tigers (AL), 4 games to 3.

A closely contested Series, especially the final game which was a heartbreaker for the Tigers, as losing pitcher Bobo Newsom had lost his father, who died in a Cincinnati hotel room the day after watching his son win Game 5. 1942 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 1. A scrappy young Redbirds team, their rally in Game 1 falling just short, sweep the remaining games and shock the old-guard Yankees players in a notable upset. 1943 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat St. Louis Cardinals (NL), 4 games to 1. The old Yanks turn the tables on the Cardinals and get revenge for 1942. The Series is scheduled for a 3-4 format due to wartime travel restrictions. Yankees manager Joe McCarthy's final Series win. 1944 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat St. Louis Browns (AL), 4 games to 2. This war year sees perhaps the nadir of 20th-century baseball, as the long-moribund St. Louis Browns win their only American League pennant.

As both teams call Sportsman's Park home, the 2-3-2 home field assignment is preserved. The Junior World Series of that same year, partly hosted in Baltimore's converted football stadium, easily outdraws the "real" Series and attracts attention to Baltimore as a potential major league city. Ten years from now, the Browns will transfer there and become the Orioles. 1946 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat Boston Red Sox (AL), 4 games to 3. Ted Williams plays injured, and is largely ineffective, though refusing to use his injury as an excuse. Enos Slaughter scores the eventual Series-winning run in the 8th inning of Game 7, dashing around the bases to take advantage of a Red Sox fielding lapse. 1947 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Brooklyn Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 3. Yankees pitcher Bill Bevens comes within 1 out of throwing a no-hitter in Game 4, but Cookie Lavagetto's pinch-hit double off the rightfield wall at Ebbets Field scores two runs and wins the game for the Dodgers.

1948 : Cleveland Indians (AL) defeat Boston Braves (NL), 4 games to 2. The Cleveland Indians ruin a possible all-Boston World Series by defeating the Boston Red Sox in a playoff after the two top American League teams were tied at the end of the season. The Indians, whose nickname was inspired by the 1914 Braves, defeat them with little trouble. 1949 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Brooklyn Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 1. History is made in the 9th inning of Game 5, when the Ebbets Field lights are turned on, the first World Series game finished under artificial lights. The first scheduled Series night game will not be held until 1971. 1950 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Philadelphia Phillies (NL), 4 games to 0. The Phillies win in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season to garner their first pennant in 35 years, but the Bombers easily overwhelm the Phils' worn-out pitching staff. 1952 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Brooklyn Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 3.

Second baseman Billy Martin makes a game-saving catch in the final contest. 1953 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Brooklyn Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 2. Brooklyn pitcher Carl Erskine sets a new Series record by striking out 14 Yankees in Game 2. Despite that setback, the New York Yankees win their fifth straight World Series, breaking their own record of the late 1930s, a feat which has never been accomplished since. 1954 : New York Giants (NL) defeat Cleveland Indians (AL), 4 games to 0. A shocker, as the Indians had won a then-league record 111 games during the regular season. In Game 1, Willie Mays makes " The Catch " — a dramatic over-the-shoulder catch of a line drive to deep center field which would otherwise have given Cleveland the lead. Dusty Rhodes, in 3 pinch-hit appearances, homers twice and drives in the game winning run twice. 1955 : Brooklyn Dodgers (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 3.

MVP : Johnny Podres , Brooklyn "Next Year" finally becomes "This Year" for the Flatbush Faithful, as Brooklyn wins its only World Series title. Leftfielder Sandy Amoros makes a dramatic game-saving catch off the bat of Yogi Berra in the 6th inning of Game 7, to start a double play and stymie the Yankees' best chance of the day. 1956 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Brooklyn Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Don Larsen , New York Larsen pitches the only no-hitter in World Series play — a perfect game, no less — for the Yankees. Catcher Yogi Berra, who caught Larsen's gem, remarked many years later, "It's never happened in World Series history, and it hasn't happened since." 1957 : Milwaukee Braves (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Lew Burdette , Milwaukee The Milwaukee Braves become the first team to win a Championship after relocating. Until 1953 , they had been the Boston Braves, winners of the 1914 Series.

In 1995 they would win again, as the Atlanta Braves. 1958 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Milwaukee Braves (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Bob Turley , New York Trailing 3 games to 1, the Yanks roar back and break the hearts of the Milwaukeans. 1959 : Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) defeat Chicago White Sox (AL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Larry Sherry , Los Angeles As Vin Scully says in the official film of the Series, "what a change of scenery" for the Fall Classic, the first time since 1948 that no Series games are played in New York City . The Los Angeles Dodgers win a pennant-playoff against the Braves, and continue on to win the franchise's first title since moving to the West Coast from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. This proves to be the first and only post-Black Sox World Series appearance by the Chicago White Sox until 2005 . 1961 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Cincinnati Reds (NL), 4 games to 1.

MVP: Whitey Ford , New York After the summer-long Maris-Mantle pursuit of Babe Ruth's season home run record, the Series proves anti-climactic as the Yanks subdue the Reds easily. 1962 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat San Francisco Giants (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Ralph Terry , New York This Series, closely matched in every game, is remembered for its appropriately dramatic final play. The New Yorkers are up 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, with two outs. The Giants' Matty Alou and Willie Mays are on third and second, carrying the potential tying and winning runs. Ralph Terry, who had given up Maz's sudden-victory homer in 1960, elects to pitch to slugger Willie McCovey instead of walking him. McCovey hits a screaming line drive out to New York's second baseman Bobby Richardson , handing the Yankees their second consecutive World title and redemption for Terry. Soon after, Peanuts cartoonist and Giants fan Charles M.

Schulz would draw a comic strip with Charlie Brown sitting glumly with Linus , lamenting in the last panel, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" Later, he would draw an identical strip, except in the last panel Charlie is moaning, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?" 1963 : Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 0. MVP: Sandy Koufax , Los Angeles Before Randy and Curt , there were Sandy and Don . Koufax, Drysdale and Johnny Podres combine to give up only 4 runs in 4 complete games. Koufax starts it off with a 15-strikeout performance in Game 1, and the Yankees are stymied throughout. This is the first time that the New York Yankees have been swept in a World Series in four games (the 1922 series had one tie). 1964 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Bob Gibson , St.

Louis The Cardinals are the only team that has played the Yankees more than once in a World Series and holds a winning edge, 3 Series to 2. The Diamondbacks and the Marlins won single Series against the Yanks in the early 21st century. For an account of this Series, and the lively season that preceded it, see David Halberstam's book, October 1964. 1965 : Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) defeat Minnesota Twins (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Sandy Koufax , Los Angeles Koufax and Drysdale return to the Series. LA's lefty-righty one-two punch had combined for 49 wins and 15 shutouts in '65, but after Sandy and Don got rocked by the Twins in the first two games, it takes a five-hit shutout by Claude Osteen to get the Dodgers back into the Series. The Dodgers proceed to win the 3 middle games at Dodger Stadium. By Game 7, Koufax regains his form and clinches the title with a three-hit, 10-strikeout, 2-0 victory. Koufax was the MVP while Ron Fairly hit two home runs.

1966 : Baltimore Orioles (AL) defeat Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 0. MVP: Frank Robinson , Baltimore This is a thoroughly dominating performance by Hank Bauer's Baltimore club. Sandy Koufax announces his retirement after the Series due to his chronic sore elbow. 1967 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat Boston Red Sox (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Bob Gibson , St. Louis After a dramatic pennant-clinching win on the last day of the regular season, "The Impossible Dream" comes to an end for the Red Sox. Bob Gibson throws three complete games on his way to a second World Series MVP title. 1969 : New York Mets (NL) defeat Baltimore Orioles (AL), 4 games to 1.

MVP: Donn Clendenon , New York The Amazin' Mets become the Miracle Mets: The New York Mets, 73-89 in 1968, win 100 regular season games and vanquish all before them, in only their 8th year of existence, behind the pitching of Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, along with timely hitting from everyone in the lineup and seemingly endless heart-stopping defensive plays. Mets rookie Nolan Ryan recorded a save in game 3. 1970 : Baltimore Orioles (AL) defeat Cincinnati Reds (NL), 4 games to 1. MVP: Brooks Robinson , Baltimore Game 1 of this Series is the first World Series game to be played on an artificial surface . Brooksie is a one-man gang, with uncharacteristic strong hitting to go along with vacuum-cleaner efficiency at the hot corner, stifling the Big Red Machine. 1971 : Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeat Baltimore Orioles (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Roberto Clemente , Pittsburgh Game 4 of this World Series is the first night game played in World Series history. The one-man gang this year is the great Clemente.

1972 : Oakland Athletics (AL) defeat Cincinnati Reds (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Gene Tenace , Oakland In their first visit to the World Series in 41 years, the Athletics upset the heavily favored Reds, in a Series with drama at every turn. All but one of the games is won by a single run. 1973 : Oakland Athletics (AL) defeat New York Mets (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Reggie Jackson , Oakland Oakland reliever Darold Knowles becomes the first (and only, as of 2004 ) pitcher to appear in every game of a seven-game World Series. 1974 : Oakland Athletics (AL) defeat Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 1. MVP: Rollie Fingers , Oakland The "California Dreamin'" Series. This A's team remains the only team other than the Yankees to win three straight Series. 1975 : Cincinnati Reds (NL) defeat Boston Red Sox (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Pete Rose , Cincinnati The Big Red Machine wins its first Series despite the Game 6 heroics of Carlton Fisk .

In that game, Fisk hits a home run off the left field foul pole in the bottom of the 12th, and is famously shown waving for the ball to stay fair. 1977 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Reggie Jackson , New York Reggie Jackson hits three home runs off of three consecutive pitches from three different Dodger pitchers in the deciding game six, only the third time a player has hit three homers in a World Series game (Babe Ruth did it twice, in 1926 and 1928). The first two are line drives into the right field stands, the third an appropriately "Ruthian" blast into the distant center field seats. His nickname of "Mr. October" is born here. 1978 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Bucky Dent , New York Famous for a controversial play in which Reggie Jackson breaks up a double play by using his hip to deflect the ball heading to first base away, allowing Thurman Munson to go to second base on the error.

There will not be any repeat World Champions for the next fourteen years. This is also the first of 10 consecutive years that see 10 different teams win the World Series, a string unprecedented in MLB history. 1979 : Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeat Baltimore Orioles (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Willie Stargell , Pittsburgh The "We Are Family" Pirates led by "Pops" Stargell who hit three home runs to lead the way. 1980 : Philadelphia Phillies (NL) defeat Kansas City Royals (AL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Mike Schmidt , Philadelphia The Phillies finally win their first World Series after a then-record 97-year wait. This Series is also the first in which every game is played on an artificial surface. 1981 : Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Tie: Ron Cey , Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager , Los Angeles Yankees reliever George Frazier becomes the first pitcher to lose three games in a single Series while trying not to.

The only other pitcher to lose three games in a Series, Lefty Williams , accepted money from gamblers to throw the 1919 Series . 1982 : St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat Milwaukee Brewers (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Darrell Porter , St. Louis Porter erases bitter memory of tiptoeing into Bob Boone 's glove in the 1980 Series. 1984 : Detroit Tigers (AL) defeat San Diego Padres (NL), 4 games to 1. MVP: Alan Trammell , Detroit The Tigers, who led wire-to-wire in the American League divisional race, roar through the playoffs and the Series, capped by a game-cinching Kirk Gibson homer at Tiger Stadium. 1985 : Kansas City Royals (AL) defeat St. Louis Cardinals (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Bret Saberhagen , Kansas City A blown call by umpire Don Denkinger helps the Royals stave off elimination in Game 6, followed by a Cardinals meltdown in Game 7. Known as the I-70 World Series or the Show Me State World Series.

This was the first World Series in which every game was played at night. 1986 : New York Mets (NL) defeat Boston Red Sox (AL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Ray Knight , New York Famed for the Bill Buckner error in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 allowing Knight to score the winning run, following a wild pitch by Bob Stanley that brought in the tying run. Mets then come back from 3-0 score in Game 7 with Knight hitting the go-ahead home run. 1987 : Minnesota Twins (AL) defeat St. Louis Cardinals (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Frank Viola , Minnesota This is the first World Series in which every game was won by the home team. Game 1 was the first World Series game to be played indoors (in the Metrodome ). Game 6 is the last World Series game to date to be played in the afternoon. The 1987 Twins have the dubious distinction of the lowest regular-season win-loss record (85-77) of any World Series champion in the history of baseball.

1988 : Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) defeat Oakland Athletics (AL), 4 games to 1. MVP: Orel Hershiser , Los Angeles In the bottom of the ninth inning of the opening game, with Mike Davis on base and Dodgers down 4-3, the injured Kirk Gibson hits the game-winning home run off Oakland's ace reliever Dennis Eckersley and limps around the bases in what would be his only at-bat in the series. 1989 : Oakland Athletics (AL) defeat San Francisco Giants (NL), 4 games to 0. MVP: Dave Stewart , Oakland The Loma Prieta earthquake , which occurred shortly before Game 3 was due to start, caused a 10-day postponement in the middle of this Series that is otherwise totally dominated by the A's. First sweep in the Fall Classic since the 1976 Series when the Cincinnati Reds did it to the New York Yankees . Because of the postponement due to the Earthquake, Oakland used the same starters for games 3 & 4 as they did in games 1 & 2, Stewart and Mike Moore .

1990 : Cincinnati Reds (NL) defeat Oakland Athletics (AL), 4 games to 0. MVP: José Rijo , Cincinnati The Reds shock the heavily favored Athletics with a sweep. Rijo wins two of the four games allowing just one run. The A's were the first team to appear in three straight World Series since the 1976-78 Yankees. 1991 : Minnesota Twins (AL) defeat Atlanta Braves (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Jack Morris , Minnesota Five of the seven games in this series are decided by one run; four of the five are won on the last play. Three of those five go into extra innings. Morris starts three games and wins two, including the dramatic seventh game, to win the Series MVP honors. Down three games to two, the Twins win Game 6 behind Kirby Puckett 's extra-inning " See you tomorrow night " home run. The next night, after Morris pitches ten innings of shutout ball in game 7, Gene Larkin 's single scores Dan Gladden in the bottom of the 10th for the deciding game's only run.

This was the first World Series to feature two teams that had finished the previous season in last place. Like the Twins' previous Series win in 1987, every game in this Series was won by the home team. 1995 : Atlanta Braves (NL) defeat Cleveland Indians (AL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Tom Glavine , Atlanta In something of a franchise rematch of 1948, the Braves become the first team to win a World Series in three different cities (Boston in 1914, Milwaukee in 1957, and Atlanta in 1995). 1996 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Atlanta Braves (NL), 4 games to 2. MVP: John Wetteland , New York The first of four Yankees titles in only 5 years gets off to a bad start as the team loses the first two games at Yankee Stadium, thanks to Andruw Jones of the Braves, who becomes the youngest player to hit a World Series home run. However, the Yankees sweep the three games at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and win the sixth and final game in New York.

The Yankees were the first team to come back from down 0-2 in the series since the 1986 New York Mets . They were the third team to come back and win after losing the first two games at home, following the 1986 Mets and the 1985 Kansas City Royals . 1998 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat San Diego Padres (NL), 4 games to 0. MVP: Scott Brosius , New York The New York Yankees cap off the winningest season in baseball history (including playoffs) with their 125th win of the year in San Diego. It was the first sweep in the Fall Classic since 1990. 1999 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat Atlanta Braves (NL), 4 games to 0. MVP: Mariano Rivera , New York The Yankees complete their second consecutive World Series sweep capping an 11-1 postseason. The 11-1 mark was a record until the Chicago White Sox matched it in the 2005 postseason. This was also the first sweep by a team without home-field advantage since 1966 when Baltimore swept the Dodgers.

2000 : New York Yankees (AL) defeat New York Mets † (NL), 4 games to 1. MVP: Derek Jeter , New York AL This was the last World Series to date with a repeat World Champion. This is the first Subway Series since 1956, and the only one to date since the Giants and Dodgers moved to California. The 1998-2000 New York Yankees establish a record of 10 consecutive games won in the World Series. The previous record was 9, by the 1936-1938 New York Yankees. They are the first back-to-back-to-back Champions since the 1972-1974 Oakland Athletics and became the first team to appear in the three straight World Series since the 1988-90 A's. 2001 : Arizona Diamondbacks (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 3. MVPs: Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling , Arizona. This Series is often cited alongside the 1991 World Series as the most exciting in history. It featured two extra-inning games.

In both games, the Yankees hit ninth-inning homers off Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hyun Kim to tie the game and go on to win. Despite these victories, the Yankees are unable to make it four straight Series championships. In Game 7, the D-backs pull off a ninth-inning comeback of their own to win the game and the Series, victimizing Yankees closer Mariano Rivera with Luis Gonzalez knocking in the game-winning RBI with a bloop single into the outfield. As the winning pitcher in game 7 of the World Series and the clinching game in the NLCS, Randy Johnson became the first pitcher since Orel Hershiser in 1988 to be the winning pitcher of the clinching games in the LCS and World Series. The Diamondbacks, in their fourth year of existence, break the Marlins' short-lived record as the fastest expansion team to win the World Series. The Yankees became the first team to appear in 4 straight World Series since the 1961-64 Yankees. This was the third Series in which every game is won by the home team.

The 2001 Series is the first to have games played in November, due to the 2001 regular season ending a week late following the mass postponement of sporting events in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11. All the Series games that season are punctuated with heavy security and shows of patriotism. 2002 : Anaheim Angels † (AL) defeat San Francisco Giants † (NL), 4 games to 3. MVP: Troy Glaus , Anaheim. 2002 is the first time two Wild Card teams meet in the World Series. It features the greatest comeback in Series history by a team facing elimination, when the Angels erase a 5-0 deficit with 8 outs remaining, to win Game 6 (6-5) and then go on to win Game 7 (4-1).

There is considerable controversy regarding Glaus' selection as Series MVP; despite being on the losing team, Barry Bonds was by most accounts the biggest star of the Series, hitting .471 for the Series with 4 homers, 6 RBI, and a mind-boggling 13 walks, vs Glaus' 7 runs, 8 RBI, 3 homers and a .385 average. Thus Bobby Richardson of the 1960 Yankees remains the only Series MVP in a losing cause. This will be the last World Series (through 2005 ) in which the home team wins the deciding game of a series. 2003 : Florida Marlins † (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 2. MVP: Josh Beckett , Florida. The Marlins, 19-29 in mid-May of the season, complete one of the most spirited comebacks in MLB history. They go 75-49 under new (old-time) manager Jack McKeon, owning the best record in the league after May 23. The Marlins shock the defending NL-champ Giants and then the Cubs before capping their run by beating the Yankees.

Jack McKeon becomes the oldest manager to ever win a World Series. The Marlins also become 6-0 in postseason series in only 11 years of existence. This championship gives the Marlins more World titles (2) than division titles (0). The Atlanta Braves had won the NL East every year since 1995, a strike ended the 1994 season without division winners, and the Philadelphia Phillies won the division in 1993. For the first time since the LCS was a best-of-7 series, both the NLCS and ALCS go the full 7 games in the same postseason, with the Marlins beating the Chicago Cubs and the Yankees beating the Boston Red Sox . The Yankees had been awarded home-field advantage for this World Series, because the AL won the 2003 All-Star game. MLB had alternated home-field advantage for the World Series between the two leagues prior to this, and the NL would have been due for home-field in 2003 before the change. 2004 : Boston Red Sox † (AL) defeat St. Louis Cardinals (NL), 4 games to 0. MVP: Manny Ramírez , Boston.

Boston's victory breaks the Curse of the Bambino , coming on the heels of the largest comeback in postseason MLB history (a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees in the Championship Series) to sweep St. Louis. The Red Sox's eight consecutive wins constitute the longest post season winning streak since the Cincinnati Reds accomplished it in 1975-1976. It marks the 3rd time in a row that a Wild Card Team wins the World Series. Boston pitcher Derek Lowe became the first pitcher in history to be the winning pitcher in the series-clinching game in three postseasons series and the first to clinch both the LCS and WS clinchers since Randy Johnson in 2001. By winning his start in game 2, Curt Schilling became the first pitcher to win World Series games with three different teams. He won game 5 with Philadelphia in 1993 and game 1 with Arizona in 2001. Again, the AL had been awarded home-field advantage, having won the All-Star game, giving the Red Sox advantage at Fenway Park despite St. Louis having the superior regular season record (Boston 98-64, St.

Louis 105-57).

Question: Who won baseball's first World Series of the 50s?
Answer: New York Yankees